Battle of Hearts
by ShadowOdd
Summary: Story about the 5 lyoko warriors in highschool battling Xana's forces which are growing constantly stronger. How will the gang react when Odd returns after 2 years with an unexplained departure. Will they be able to follow their hearts and find love, or will Xana prove too great an opponent? OxA UxY JxM
1. Chapter 1

Beep. Beep. Beep.

The familiar sounds of the machines that kept me alive these past two years are the first to fill my ears when I wake up in my familiar hospital room.

Sighing, I slowly position myself to sit up and look around. It's been like this everyday since _the accident._

_"You've any idea what you want?" my dad asks me, running his eyes over the menu, shaking my head I let out a sigh._

_"I'm not sure yet, steak more than likely." I reply causally, looking around the room._

_"Odd, listen, it's only for a week, surely you can survive without your friends for another few days while you see your family?" my mom asks, resting her hand on my shoulder._

_"I'll try," I reply smiling, shaking my mood out of reality. "But yeah, steak it is!" I smile._

_"Why am I not surprised?" my dad laughs, I shrug as I continue looking around the restaurant. _

_The room we're in is quite small for a restaurant, holding at most 25 people. It was half filled at the moment, adults and their kids taking up the majority of the seats._

_Suddenly the door opens to reveal a man by his lonesome. Thinking nothing of it, I look away from him but the more time I spend looking away from him, the more the urge to stare at him rises._

_Giving into my urges I glance over my shoulder to have my eyes filled with shock. From where I was sitting, I could see something strapped to his waist under his jacket, something he was currently reaching for. That something he shot into the roof to gather the attention of everyone in the room._

_Screams of panic and terror quickly filled the room as the man demanded that everyone in the room get on the ground and the girl behind the till empty the money from her post._

_Not willing to submit to an animal like him, my dad's previous army training kicked in as he vaulted over the table and confronted the man, grabbing his hands and trying to pry the gun from him._

_That was when I made the worst mistake of my life._

_Standing up, I reach my hand out towards my dad._

_"Dad, be carefu-"_

_That's all I manage to get out before reality sets in. My eyes twitched as I moved my trembling hand to my chest. Bringing my hand to in front of my face I stare at it. The pain soaring in my chest._

_Red. My hand is red._

_I feel myself slumping to the floor as I watch the man with the gun run from the restaurant as my dad ran as fast as he could to me. _

_"Odd!" I hear my mother scream, she cradle's my head on her lap, her face filled with tears._

_Lifting my head, I look at my dad, standing above me with terror and tears._

_"Someone call an ambulance!" a stranger calls from the room. That's the last sound I hear before I slip out of reality._

Looking down at my chest, I slip my hand under my shirt and feel at my scar.

Apparently I was very lucky, the bullet just missed my heart by a mere inch. That's why I've been here for so long. It's been too dangerous to operate to remove it, it was lodged beside an artery. But recently, my body has been fighting back and been pushing it out.

Sighing at the worst part of this whole incident, I let my eyes drop to the floor.

I wasn't allowed tell my friends.

As far as my best friends back at Kadic were concerned, I didn't exist anymore as was a mere memory.

The thought of the people who meant so much to me, moving on with their life without giving me a second thought. I left on a week trip with my parents. Over 2 years ago.

"They probably have a new member to help them beat Xana." my mind taunted, causing me to worry more and more.

Laying back in my familiar bed I let out a sigh.

"I'll never get to see them again."

Never before in my life. Was I happier to be proven wrong. That proof however, came in the form of my mom and dad bursting into my hospital room with grins as wide as a football field plastered on their face.

"WHAT? I GET TO GO BACK TO KADIC?" I cried, my parents stood in front of me with huge smiles plastered on their faces.

"Yup! You're going back tomorrow!" my dad smiled.

I couldn't believe it. I was finally going back. I'd get to see the gang again.

During my parents talking, I wondered if my friends looked different or the same. It had, after all, been two years.

Did Ulrich finally pucker up the courage to confess to Yumi? Did Jeremie still spend every day plastered to his computer on locked away in the factory? Is Aelita still as beautiful as I rememb-

"Woah, what?," I murmured to myself, "not this again." I curse myself.

Aelita was the one I found my mind wandering to most of all friends, her short pink hair that fit her face perfectly. When she'd smile it'd show her perfect pearly white teeth. The way she used to touch my arm when she'd laugh at my jokes. Oh god, her laugh. The one that filled my stomach with butterflies. The laugh I earned to hear everyday and tried my hardest to hear a often.

Letting out a sigh, I smiled at my roof.

I'd see them again, tomorrow.

Tomorrow I return to Kadic.


	2. Chapter 2

Words couldn't describe the fear in the heart of Odd Della Robbia.

He currently stood at the fronts gate of the school he had left over two years ago.

His mind raced with memories as he took a deep breath before looking over the gate once more.

Making up his mind, he started to walk in.

* * *

Sat in canteen, were the remaining Lyoko warriors.

Ulrich, Yumi, Jeremie and Aelita.

In appearance they had all changed a fair bit.

Ulrich, now 18, had grown in height, now at a staggering 6 foot, 6 inches taller than when Odd left. His brown hair hung lower than two years ago but swept across his forehead. His clothing had changed from his normally green attire to faded blue jeans, green converse, a black t-shirt under a green army jacket. His personality however, hadn't changed in the slightest. He still held tremendous feelings for Yumi, which EVERYONE knew about. Still regarded Jeremie as his little dork and protected Aelita as his younger sister.

Yumi, who had also grown in height, had also grown into a gorgeous young woman, who's curves came in around a year and a half ago. 18 years old, older than Ulrich by a mere 3 days, she had entered her final year, Ulrich missing out on being in her grade by 3 days. Her normal black attire had changed from plain black to black and purple boots, dark blue jeans and black t-shirt than hung off her shoulder. Her hair, a bit longer, seemed the same.

Jeremie, the blonde hair genius had just turned 17 a couple weeks back, his idea of a "fun" party, was working on lyoko programming with Aelita. His hair still the same length but seemed more silky. His plain clothing changed to one of a completely different nature. His shoes turned to red converse, his jeans to a dark blue and a plain white t-shirt. He had grown the least out of the group, but still stood the second smallest at 5'7.

Aelita, the same age as Odd and Jeremie, now 17, had let her hair grow out, it now reaching shoulder height, the back of her hair tied into a small pony tail, leaving the sides and the rest down. Her attire had changed to white shoes, similar in design to Ulrichs, deep blue semi-skinny jeans, a white and pink stripped shirt under a white cardigan. Much like Yumi, the year before, she had grown into her curves, catching the eyes and attention of many of the students of kadic.

The group sat chatting about their Lyoko mission the night before.

Bored, Ulrich leaned on his hand and lazily gazed out the canteen window, his eyes sweeping the courtyard.

"Hey, looks like we have a new student." Ulrich said, sitting up and focusing on the boxes he had noticed school staff bringing towards the boys dorms.

"I noticed, who do you think it is?" Jeremie asked without removing his eyes from his laptop screen.

"No idea." Yumi and Aelita said in unison. As the three of them, minus Jeremie, who was too focused on his laptop, looked out the window, they failed to hear the canteen open.

* * *

Taking a deep breath, Odd shut the door behind him, stepping in from the chilly air.

Looking around the canteen, he glanced over the head of students who currently sat, casually eating lunch and chatting with their friends.

Happy that no one had noticed him, Odd spotted a familiar hair colour over the heads of the crowds.

Pink.

Smiling softly to himself, he took a deep breath as he walked down to their table.

* * *

"That's 4 boxes." Ulrich counted, his eyes searching around the courtyard for a sight of the new student.

"Anyone know what this new student looks like?" Yumi asked, leaning on Aelita's back and getting a better view of the canteen.

"I heard he's blonde, pretty cool and also, the only guy on the planet with two stomachs." a voice sounded behind them, making them jump.

Ulrich was the first to reply, without even looking away from the window.

"You know him?" he asked, the three still staring out the window, Odd shrugged.

"Yeah... You all do." Odd replied, grinning at their lack of awareness.

"Oh yeah? What's his name?" Yumi called, her eyes still scouting the courtyard.

"Odd." Odd smiled, his eyes dancing as his old friends turned their head to stare at the source of the voice, even Jeremie looked up from his laptop.

There was an silence as the four friends tried to find a reaction.

"Well? Are you gonna sit there or are you gonna hug me?" Odd grinned, spreading his arms. Ulrich was the first to react.

"ODD? ODD DELLA ROBBIA?" Ulrich cried, almost diving across the table.

The named echoed around the canteen. As the older students heard that familiar name, everyone glanced at the blonde beside Ulrich's table.

"The one and only! How have you been good buddy?" Odd smiled, happily embracing his best friends hug. Odd buried his head in Ulrich's shoulder as the two best friends were finally reunited.

"I've... I've..." Ulrich stuttered, disbelief coursing through his body.

"Good, I hope?" Odd finished with a laugh, Ulrich nodded and let go of his best friend.

It wasn't long before Odd felt three people hugging him from different angles. Jeremie, Yumi and Ulrich clung onto him for dear life.

"Where've you been?" Yumi gasped, still refusing to believe her old friend had finally returned.

"All in due time Yumes!" Odd grinned, they all let go of him as they stood around smiling at him.

"Aelita?" Odd leaned in, she hadn't moved from her seat. Her eyes were wide, she was pale, like she had seen a ghost.

"Are you okay Aelita?" Ulrich asked, quickly jumping back as a blur of pink whizzed past him.

Aelita hugged Odd so hard that she managed to take him to the floor.

Wincing in pain, Odd smiled, hiding his pain as she leaned on his injury, put instantly wrapping his arms around her.

She buried her face in his neck and began to sob, Odd just held her against him.

He was in heaven. The girl he had thought about almost everyday... She was crying over him. They all missed him. He had been wrong all this time.

Odd felt a sharp pain across his cheek before he realized what had happened, grabbing his cheek he looked up at Aelita.

"Ouch... Why'd you hit me?!" Odd asked, rubbing the pain away from his face.

"WHERE WERE YOU?" Aelita bawled, Odd sat up and hugged her again.

"Shhh, it's alright, I'm back now. I'll explain everything but first you have to calm down." Odd whispered into her ear, absentmindedly stroking her hair. The more Odd rubbed her hair the less heavily she breathed.

Standing out from under her, Odd offered her a hand up which she gratefully accepted.

There was a wave of silence in the canteen as the students stared at the old friends reunited. There was whispers between the juniors.

"Is that THE Odd Della Robbia?" someone whispered.

"He's as handsome as people said." a girl whispered to her friend.

Laughing softly, Ulrich patted his friend on the back.

"Somethings never change," Ulrich laughed, "Now, care to explain where've you been?" Ulrich asked. Odd nodded softly.

"Of course, but can we do it in my room?" Odd asked, not wanting the gossipers to over hear.

"Yeah, of course! Where's your room?" Ulrich asked, Odd slapped himself on the forehead.

"Did I say my room?," Odd sighed, "I meant our room." Odd grinned at Ulrich who just cheered.

"WOOO! Let's go!" Ulrich called, pushing everyone the the door of the canteen.

* * *

As the old group sat in Ulrich and Odd's dorm, they all surrounded Odd who sat on his bed.

"Okay. Spill!" Jeremie said, leaning in, not wanting to miss any of Odd's story.

Shrugging, Odd stood up.

"So. It starts with this." Odd sighed, lifting his shirt high enough to reveal the circular patch of pale, scarred skin. "Remember that week I went off with my parents? Yeah well, not all things went according to plan."

Odd sat back down and began to tell them the story.

**Well guys! Chapter two! Enjoy! I'll be doing a review section, so if you have any questions about the direction of this story, plot etc, leave a review and I'll try answer it in the next chapter!**

_Minka - Great :* Next , next , next ! **Thank you very much! I'm glad you enjoyed it! I hope you continue to enjoy it!**  
_

_Anon - Great start. But whatever you do, please don't add Deane in the story. And if you do, don't focus on him as much as you usually do. Also if he's in this story and he joins the lyoko gang, don't make him all badass the moment he enters lyoko. Make him more clumsy, not really sure what he's doing. It will make your story more realistic._

**Don't worry my friend! He shan't be in this story. I'm steering away from him at the moment while he's being used in NobleScotsman and I'd story. However there will be a brand new OC in this story. A girl if that pleases you. She'll be completely different than what I'm used to writing! So I hope you enjoy her when I reveal her in a few chapters!  
**

**Anyway guys, as I said, enjoy! Leave some reviews! Your feedback means so much to me! If you want me to add something into the story or change where it's getting, let me know and I'll try bend the story!**

**~ShadowOdd**


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